Chapter 4
Delving into the Criminal Mind
IN THIS CHAPTER
Looking into forensic psychiatry
Reviewing tests used for psychiatric assessment
Digging into deception
Determining competence and sanity
Understanding serial offenders
Unlike hair, shoeprints, or weapons, the motivations of criminals aren’t visible, and they can’t be studied under a microscope or analyzed in a chemistry lab. That makes psychiatry a different animal completely. Nonetheless, it’s an ever-growing field that not only helps investigators sort fact from fiction but guides investigations by providing often astoundingly accurate descriptions of who the perpetrator is likely to be.
Investigators use physical and biological evidence to determine the who, what, and how. Forensic psychiatrists help flesh out the why. And the why is often the most valuable piece of information for solving the crime, because few, if any, crimes are committed without a motive, a why.
Defining the Role of the Forensic Psychiatric Professional ...
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